Curler and clamp



March 29, 1949. c, CHEDISTER 2,465,515

CURLER AND CLAMP Filed Feb. 12, 1947 l i iil C. 6215/2525 gmful if; if TTORNEYS Patented Mar. 29, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT CFFICE CURLEB. AND CLAMP Conkling Chedister, Livingston, N. J., assignor to Eugene, Ltd., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York 8 Claims.

The invention relates to permanent waving devices and more especially to an improved pawl and ratchet construction for a hair clamp and curler.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, on may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a combined clamp and curler embodying the invention, shown in the nal or assembled position of use;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation (from the left in Fig. 1) showing the pawl disengaged;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2, showing the pawl engaged;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the clamp in opened position;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section in the central portion of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the curler with the central portion broken away.

The invention is directed to providing an improved pawl and ratchet construction for holding and tightening a curler on a hair-waving clamp, especially a clamp for the Croquignole type of waving.

Clamp and curler constructions for Croquignole waving as heretofore made employ spring means for effecting operative engagement of the pawl and ratchet construction usually provided to hold the curler in position on the clamp and to permit tightening of the tress wound thereon. Spring mechanism for this purpose is faulty because the spring is rapidly impaired or destroyed in use by the heat and the corrosive effect of the chemicals used in permanent waving. The waving lotions used also leave a viscous or gummy residue which clogs or otherwise impedes the desired action of the spring.

Objects of the invention are to provide an im proved pawl-engaging means for such clamp and curler sets which will obviate need for any sp-ring device; whose action will not be impaired by any of the normal conditions of use so that it will have a far longer life and greater uniformity of operation; which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture and repair; and easy to operate.

Broadly described, in a generally conventional clamp and curler assembly the invention provides a pawl for engaging ratchet teeth on the curler, said pawl being so mounted and positioned on the clamp that movement of the curler to its seated position automatically urges the pawl into engagement with the ratchet teeth without the action of any spring or like means. The tightening of the wound hair by turning the curler in its supports on the clamp causes the curler to be resiliently urged and held in its support and coincidentally to increase the engaging pressure of the pawl against the ratchet.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well as exemplary and explanatory but are not restrictive of the invention.

Referring now to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, a conventional clamp of the Croquignole type is shown, although the invention may be app-lied to other types of clamps known to the art. As shown, said clamp comprises two relatively long, narrow, flat bars lil and Il of aluminum or other light, strong, rigid material, said bars being permanently hinged together at one end by any suitable means. In the construction shown the bars are formed as hollow channels, the ends being crimped together to hold a link l2 which is fixed to the end of bar I0 and pivotally connected to bar Il, as shown in Fig. 4.

The opposite ends of the bars are designed to be spread apart to receive a tress of hair for winding, and then to be closed and locked together to hold and grip the tress while it is being wound and waved, all as known in the art. As shown, the open end of the bars are similarly crimped and to the end of bar I l is pivotally connected a closing or latch member I3 which is adapted to swing horizontally to a closed position between the upper end lower reaches of the bar members. A locking handle Ill is pivotally connected to the free end of latch I3, said handle being formed with a locking cam l5 adjacent its pivoted end. The cam is designed to interact with a curved locking surface formed within the side face of the free end of bar IB, so that when the handle is turned to lie along the outer side of said bar, the clamp bars will be tightly locked together. Preferably, resilient inserts 20 and 2 l, of rubber vor the like, are provided to form vertical hair-gripping faces between the meeting jaws ofthe clamp bars and also to provide a supporting and heat-insulating cushion between the bottoms of the clamp bars and the scalp S of the user. 1f desired, conventional pads of felt or the like may also be placed between the clamp and the scalp.

The clamp is also provided with means for supporting and holding the winding rod or curler 25 in place on the clamp. For this purpose the clamp is provided at either end with upstanding yokes or cradles for receiving the reduced rounded end studs 26 and 2l of the curler 25. Conveniently, the U-shaped yoke or cradle 28 is formed as an upturned integral portion of the closedend connecting link l2 of the clamp, while the similar yoke 29 at the opposite end of the clamp is also similarly formed as a part of the pivoted latch member I3. As will be clear from the drawings, when the clamp is closed and locked, the two supports 28 and 2S are aligned to receive and support the curler 25 in its ultimate operative hair-holding and tightening position as shown in Fig. 1.

The curler 25 is entirely of known or conventional construction, being circular in cross-section and tapering in diameter from a minimum at its center to equally enlarged ends just short of the terminal supporting stubs 23 and 21. "A tightening key or handle 30 may be formed as a wing end of stub shaft 2l. At the opposite end of the curler, in the enlarged portion just short of the stub shaft 26, there is formed a circular row of ratchet teeth 3|, whose cooperation with the novel construction of the invention will be presently described. Preferably the curler is also provided with any suitable means for'engaging the initial tip or turn of the tress H to be wound, said means as shown comprising the hinged tongue 32.

It will be understood that the devices described above are all of known and conventional construction and that the novel features of the invention are not limited to combination with any particular type of clamp or rod except within the broad means of the appended claims.

Referring now to the construction and arrangement of the rod-engaging and hair-tightening means, to which the invention particularly relates, a pawl 35 is provided to releasably engage the ratchet teeth 3l when rod 25 is supported by the clamp, as shown. For this purpose the pawl tooth'35 is formed as a part of the upwardlyand outwardly inclined arm 36 of a bell-crank. The

other arm 3l of said bell-crank extends at about a right angle from arm 36 and said bell-'crank is pivotally mounted by pin or rivet 38 to the inner vertical face of rod-supporting yoke 29 to rock about a fulcrum adjacent the bell-crank vertex and in sliding contact with the inner face of said yoke. The bell-crank has a limited rocking movement as shown, so that it may readily bring the pawl 35 into and out of engage- 1 ment with the notches between ratchet tooth 3l.

For this purpose the bottom surface 40 of the vertex portion of the bell-crank is spaced a slight distance above the upper surface of latch member I3, so that the bell-crank may rock through a relatively small angle between its limiting positions.

As will be clear from the drawings, when the curler stubs are seated in the yokes 28 and 29, the adjacent vperimeter of the curler (i. e., the ends of the teeth 3|) will bear against the inner inclined face of the bell-crank arm 3l, causing the bell-crank to rock counter-clockwise (Figs. 2 and 3). This urges and brings the pawl 36 into holding engagement with the ratchet teeth, permitting the curler to be turned only in the clockwise sense, thereby to further wind up and tighten the hair upon it. The hair, which has a considerable amount of elasticity, will eXert a resilient downward pull upon the system, tending to hold the rod down in its supports and thus to tighten the grip of the pawl. The rod may be released and the hair unwound at any time desired by rocking the bell-crank in the clockwise direction to disengage the pawl and for this purpose the extended end of lever arm 36 may be provided with a thumb piece 4|.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages. f

What is claimed is:

1. A permanent waving clamp and curler set including in combination a Croquignole-type clamp for engaging and gripping a strand of hair on the human head adjacent the scalp and a curler for engaging said strand near its tip and about which the strand is wound spirally towardA the clamp, the clamp comprising a pair of hair-engaging jaws pivotally connected together at one end and separable at the opposite end, means'for fastening the closed jaws together in hair-gripping relationship, supports at either end of the clamp for receiving and rotatably supporting the ends of the curler so that it lies above and parallel to the junction of the clamp jaws when seated in said supports, and means for tightening the wound tress of hair on the curler when so supported, said means including a set of ratchet teeth carried by the curler and a pawl carried by the clamp, said pawl being capable of movement relative to the clamp to engage and disengage said teeth, and a member associated with said pawl and engaged by the curler to urge the' pawl toward said teeth under tightening movement of said curler. i

2. The combination as set forth in Vclaim 1 wherein said pawl and said member are constructed to move together with respect tothe clamp and curler.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pawl and said member comprise parts of a lever mounted on the clamp.

4. The combination as set forth in claim'3 wherein said lever is pivotally mounted onA the clamp and has a limited rocking movement thereon. f

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4 wherein said pawl lies on one side of the curler and said member on the opposite side when the curler is seated in said supports.

6. The combination as set forth in c1aim`5 wherein said member is positioned to be displaced by the curler when seated in said supports, thereby to rock the pawl into engagment with said ratchet teeth.

' wherein the curler is disposed so as to be drawn into resilient engagement with said member by the pull of the hair between the clamp and the Number curler. 1,919,282 CONKLING CI-IEDISTER. 1,973,336 2,026,364 REFERENCES CITED 2,078,460 The fellowng references are of record in the 2136887 le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number y vName Datey 10 447,943

1,862,721 Sterling June 14, 1932 Namse Date Seiter July 28, 1933 Decker Sept. 11, 1934 Serre Dec. 31, 1935 Seiter Apr. 27, 1937 Parker Nov. 15, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain May 28, 1936 

